


Crushed

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5170079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaster has a meeting with the king.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crushed

“You’re meeting with the king today, huh?”

Gaster’s head jerks up at the sound of Sans’ voice. He’d been pacing the room, mumbling to himself. “Oh - hello, Sans, I didn’t see you there.”

Sans leans in the doorway, a lazy smile on his face. “Hello there, doctor.”

“You don’t have to be so formal. Not with me. I’ve told you, already.” Gaster’s not fond when people stand on ceremony with him, especially Sans.

That just makes Sans grin, though. “You know me. I’m completely professional all the time.”

“Explains the whoopee cushions. And the googly eyes on the lab equipment,” says Gaster.

“Good times.” Sans has a chuckle at that for a moment, but returns to the original topic. Gaster was hoping he’d distracted him from it, but- “You only get this worked up when experiments are going badly or you’re going to see the king, and everything’s working out fine lately, as far as I know.”

“I... do have a meeting with the king later,” says Gaster, averting his eyes. “Don’t always get ‘worked up’ over it.”

“I can’t think of one time you’ve had to go see him and didn’t spend the hour before hiding in your office.” Sans looks at him askance. “And you’re still blushing, y’know.”

Automatically, Gaster touches his face. His bones are a bit too warm. He hangs his head. “...Far too observant. Exactly why you’re my assistant.”

“I’d tell you to work that charm on the king and not on me, but...” Sans falls silent for a second. “Well, good luck. At least you’ve got good stuff to report this time.”

He’ll still need all the luck he can get just to get by.

* * *

Gaster can give his reports with minimal difficulty. Science is a subject he enjoys speaking about, even to the king. He gets animated, his hands flapping in meaningless gestures as he talks. He’s heard the lab assistants have nicknamed him for it.

That’s not the problem. The problem-

“Going so soon?” Asgore asks, when he turns to leave immediately after his report is finished. “You have been working so hard. Why not stay and have a cup of tea?”

“...Of course, sire.”

Asgore is impeccable at preparing tea, so that’s not the problem either. Even perfectly made tea can only do so much to soothe his nerves.

When Gaster doesn’t do much talking, Asgore fills the silence with chat. News about the kingdom (“oh, I hadn’t heard that”) or assurance about how much he appreciates Gaster’s work (“thank you, sire, that’s very kind”) or questions about Gaster’s life. Gaster answers those to the best of his ability, though he readily admits he’s boring outside of his lab work.

Asgore never seems to think so. Asgore listens like Gaster’s life is actually of interest to him. Asgore cares about Gaster - as much as he cares about everyone else in the kingdom, that is.

Gaster has a problem.

“Is something the matter?”

Gaster realizes he’s trailed off. “N-no sire! What... what were we talking about?”

Asgore chuckles, low and rumbling. “If the topic does not keep your attention, we can find something else to speak on. I apologize for going on so.”

“Nothing you need to apologize for.” Gaster is quick to answer, before Asgore can even think of being unhappy with himself. “How is the garden?”

Asgore perks up for a moment. “The garden is just fine. I have a bit of a weed problem, but nothing serious. It always seems a shame to uproot the dandelions... they are flowers in their own right.” Then his smile fades. “...When my children were still here, Chara taught Asriel to make wishes on dandelions. Tori would sit here and watch them play in the gardens...”

This is the heart of the problem, here. The problem is that Asgore is still married to a memory, and Gaster has no hope of competing with a memory even if he were to try.

“Thank you for the tea,” he says, and wishes his king were perhaps not quite so kind, at least, not to him.


End file.
